‘Act or face legal action’

Video

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS & VIDEOS - Following the protest action outside the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality on Friday 26 March, the Graaff-Reinet Action Committee (GRAC) has given Mayor Deon de Vos seven days to respond to their memorandum, failing which, legal proceedings will be instituted against the municipality.

GRAC is accusing the municipality of being guilty of socio-economic human rights violations in its municipal area. The violations include a range of issues including service delivery, housing and lack of communication.

GRAC, representing residents from 11 residential areas in Graaff-Reinet, led the march and protest attended by about 50 community members. According to GRAC Convener Sias Smith, the municipality did not adequately respond to their memorandum handed over to De Vos on 11 March last year. He says the response received at the time was vague and evasive.

GRAC then attempted to secure a meeting with De Vos, but all attempts proved futile. Therefore, a second memorandum was delivered to the mayor on 10 November 2020, but this time no feedback was received.

The protesters say the community must be part of the decision making process.

Legal help

GRAC has since secured the services of a legal representative who assisted them with the formulation of the latest memorandum that contains grievances relating to housing, electricity, water, sanitation, refuse removal, municipal accounts, and lack of communication.

With regard to communication, GRAC claims the community has been unable to effectively communicate with the municipality due to the "inescapably evasive conduct" on the part of the DBNLM.

They highlight the fact that the local community is an integral part of the municipality and should therefore, by law, be involved in the decision-making processes of local government.

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GRAC also states that residents want to play an active role in assisting the municipality with community development and, to this end, request detailed information on current and active community forums which allow residents to participate in the operations of the municipality.

Sias Smith

Disrespect

Smith says GRAC requested the mayor’s presence at the protest on Friday via e-mail on 15 March. A response to this e-mail was only received at 07:55 on the day of the protest notifying GRAC that the mayor is unavailable, but that Chief Whip Angeline Booysen will receive the memorandum on his behalf.

GRAC states that the delayed response and the absence of the mayor, coupled with the fact that municipal employees inside the building could be seen laughing at protesters, are indicative of the level of disrespect that residents have to endure at the hands of local government.

They also express their concern around the police presence at their peaceful protest while police are "generally nowhere to be seen when serious crimes are committed".